Spring-loaded hinge



y 30, 1967 c. .1. NARDON SPRING'LOADED HINGE Filed April 7, 1965 a 5' 7 6 6/ 2 4 6 V j p .3 3 2% fl w MW & mm m lrlll Pa. La a, a a w a United States Patent 3,321,800 SPRING-LOADED HINGE Carl J. Nard'on, 4532 Cockerham Drive, Los Angeles, tCalif. 90027 Filled Apr. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 446,323 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-190) This invention relates generally to spring-assisted hinge devices and is particularly directed to spring-loaded hinges for use on furniture, such as cabinet lids or the like.

Spring-loaded hinges for cabinet lids commonly utilize a tension spring which acts to maintain the lid in upright position and which helps to counterbalance the weight of the lid when it is lifted manually from horizontal (closed) position. The end portions of such tension springs are bent at a 90 angle to the main body of the coil and are subject to failure at such bends. Such tension springs also have excessive over-all length. While some hinge assemblies have employed a compression spring, such devices have not proved to be satisfactory in service because of inherent difficulties in the associated mechanism connected to the hinge parts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel form of spring-loaded hinge assembly wherein the spring acts in compression.

Another object is to provide a device of this type having a novel form of friction snubber to cushion the action of the hinge assembly in the opening direction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of compression spring hinge device of compact size and particularly adapted to be constructed of metal stampings for economical manufacture ion a quantity production basis.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view partly broken away, showing a hinge device embodying this invention and installed on a cabinet for supporting a swinging lid.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the hinge device, before installation.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional enlarged elevation taken substantially on the lines 3-3 as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view partially broken away.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the parts in another position.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the lines 66 as shown in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a transverse sectional elevation taken substantially on lines 7-7 as shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is a prospective view showing the construction of the stationary tension member.

Referring to the drawings, the housing generally designated 10 has a body portion 11 formed by side walls 12 and a top wall 13. A pair of oppositely directed flanges 14 extend from the side walls 12 and are provided with apertures 15 and 16 for reception of fastening screws 17. The housing 10 is adapted to be mounted in an upright position on the rear wall of cabinet 18, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The walls 12 and 13 of the body 11 cooperate to define a three-sided enclosure 20, and the wall 12 of the cabinet forms the fourth side of the enclosure. A coil compression spring 21 is mounted within the enclosure and encircles a first tension member 22 having a longitudinal slot 23. A second tension member 24 extends axially within the first tension member 22 and has an enlarged head 25, which projects at opposite ends through the slot 23 and functions as a crosspiece. A second crosspiece 26 is fixed on the tension member 22 and projects outward therefrom to form shoulders 26a engaging one end of the coil spring 21. The cnosspiece 26 extends at right angies to the direction of the head 25. The members 22 and 24 have relative telescopic movement and comprise spring-retaining means.

A square washer 27 encircles the tension member 22 and, as shown in FIGURE 6, rests on the projecting portions of the head 25. A snubber member 28 has a flange portion 29 which rests on the washer 2'7 and which is engaged by the other end of the coil spring 21. From this description, it will be understood that upward motion of the tension member 24 with respect to the tension member 22. as viewed in FIGURE 3, results in shortening the over-all length of the compression spring 21.

The slotted tension member 22 is provided With internal threads 31 at one end, and these threads are engaged by the adjusting screw 32 which extends through an opening 33 in the end wall 34 of the body 11. The tension member 24 projects beyond the opposite ends of the slotted member 22 and is connected by pivot pin 35 to the swinging hinge part 36. This hinge part 36 is pivotally mounted by pin 37 on the body 11 at the forward ends of the side walls 12. This hinge part 36 is provided with laterally directed tabs 38 provided with apertures 39. Fastening screws 40 pnoject through these apertures 39 to secure the hinge part 36 to the edge of the swinging lid 41 of the cabinet.

The swinging hinge part 36 is movable from an extended position shown in FIGURE 3 to a retracted position shown in FIGURE 5. A slot 42 extending axially in the tension member 24 slidably receives the crosspiece 26. If desired, a pin 43 may be temporarily positioned in aligned apertures provided in the side walls 12, and this pin is engaged by the swinging hinge part 36 to hold the parts in the position shown in FIGURE 3. This facilitates installation of the housing 10 on the vertical wall 19 of the cabinet 18. After the fastening screws 40 have been installed to secure the part 36 to the lid 41, the pin 43 may be withdrawn. The force of the spring 21 then serves to counterbalance the weight of the lid 41. When the lid 41 is lifted manually, it pivots around the pin 37, and the tension member 24 moves from the position of FIGURE 3 to the position of FIGURE 5, accompanied by an increase in length of the coil compression spring 21. During this motion, the tension parts 22 and 24 have relative telescopic movement. The parts 22 and 24 also swing slightly about the opening 33 in the end wall 34, in order to accommodate the arcuate movement of the pivot pin 35.

An energy-absorbing snubbing device is employed to decelerate the swinging movement of the lid 41 as it approaches a vertical position. This snubbing device includes the snubber member 28 and the square washer 27, which are both confined between one end of the spring 21 and the shoulders provided by the head 25. As shown in FIGURE 6, the side walls 12 are indented at 45 to cause friction contact with the snubber member 28. As the swinging hinge part 36 approaches the end of its retracting movement, the sliding contact of the part 28 through the reduced clearance section provided by the indentations 45 is effective to decelerate the swinging motion 41 of the lid. The snubber member 28 is preferably formed of nonmetallic material having good sliding friction characteristics with the inner surface of the metal walls 12.

The housing 10, stationary tension member 22, moving tension member 24, and swinging hinge part 36 are all adapted to be formed of metal stampings, thereby facilitating economical manufacture on a quantity production basis. It will be observed that the slot 23 between the arcuate leg portions 46 of the tension member '22 is provided by the clearance space which remains after doubling one portion back upon the other, the bend occurring at 3 47. The internal threads 31 are provided adjacent the bend 47.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth or to the details illustrated in the drawings, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spring-loaded hinge device comprising in combination: a stationary housing having side walls, a swinging hinge part pivotally attached to the housing, a movable tension member in the housing pivotally attached to said hinge part, a stationary tension member in the housing secured at one end to the housing remote from said hinge part, each of the tension members having an axially extending slot and each having a crossmember fixed thereto extending through the slot in the other tension member, a coil compression spring encircling said tension members and being operatively positioned between said crossmembers, the housing side walls having indentations to reduce the clearance space between them, and a snubber means carried on the movable tension member frictionally engaging the side indented walls and movable into the reduced clearance space bet-ween said indentations.

2. A spring-loaded hinge device comprising in combination: a stationary housing having side walls, a swinging hinge part pivotally attached to the housing, a movable tension member in the housing pivotally attached to said hinge part, a stationary tension member in the housing secured at one end to the housing remote from said hinge part, each of the tension members having an axially entending slot and each having a crossmember fixed thereto extending through the slot in the other tension member, a coil compression spring encircling said tension members and being operatively positioned between said crossmembers, the housing side walls having indentations to reduce the clearance space between them, and a snubber device carried on the movable tension member between the end of the coil spring and the crossmember of said tension member and including depending legs having a greater distance therebetween than the space between said indentations for frictionally engaging the side walls and movable into the reduced clearance space between said indentations.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,085,422 1/1914 Hills. 3,187,374 6/1965 Lundell 16-190 3,196,482 7/1965 Bates 16-190 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner.

D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SPRING-LOADED HINGE DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A STATIONARY HOUSING HAVING SIDE WALLS, A SWINGING HINGE PART PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE HOUSING, A MOVABLE TENSION MEMBER IN THE HOUSING PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID HINGE PART, A STATIONARY TENSION MEMBER IN THE HOUSING SECURED AT ONE END TO THE HOUSING REMOTE FROM SAID HINGE PART, EACH OF THE TENSION MEMBERS HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING SLOT AND EACH HAVING A CROSSMEMBER FIXED THERETO EXTENDING THROUGH THE SLOT IN THE OTHER TENSION MEMBER, A COIL COMPRESSION SPRING ENCIRCLING SAID TENSION MEMBERS AND BEING OPERATIVELY POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID CROSSMEMBERS, THE HOUSING SIDE WALLS HAVING INDENTATIONS TO REDUCE THE CLEARANCE SPACE BETWEEN THEM, AND A SNUBBER MEANS CARRIED ON THE MOVABLE TENSION MEMBER FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE SIDE INDENTED WALLS AND MOVABLE INTO THE REDUCED CLEARANCE SPACE BETWEEN SAID INDENTATIONS. 